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19 December 2014

HCL Transforms Children's Section into Fantastic World

The new-look interior of the Children’s Library, a section of the
Harare City Library

Harare
City Library (HCL) has renovated its Children’s Library, making it a modern, comfortable
space for reading. The new bean bags, cubicles, and the enticing colourful wall
mural have altogether transformed the children’s section into a fantasy world.

It
is going to be fun for children to read while sinking in a bean bag chair and
surrounded by books and the beautiful mural of forest animals portrayed on one
of the walls.

In
a recent interview, HCL consultant librarian Edwin Madziwo said that they
believe this children’s section is very important because this is where future learners
are nurtured and therefore the need to make the place have a dramatic impact
upon the kids.

“Now
that the renovations are complete, children and their families should brace for
exciting activities next year. We intend to introduce various activities suitable
for the children,” he said.

The
activities, according to Madziwo, include introducing monthly library visiting
days for pre-school and primary school children, painting games, writing and
reading competitions and many more. He also said the HCL is contemplating on introducing
science for children.

“In
this new-look arena, we also want the children to conduct the basic science
experiments that demand no huge resources, simple scientific activities that
will brighten them up,” said Madziwo.

Should
the HCL succeed in establishing this children’s mini-laboratory, it would undoubtedly
identify and nurture talents in diverse fields and this is what Zimbabwe is
looking for.

The
HCL had in the past been calling for parents to bring their children to the
library so that they can enjoy a wide range of fantastic books and activities. This
year, the HCL hosted a Swedish/Zimbabwean Children’s Literature Day as a means to get
parents and children become aware of the significance of reading for pleasure.
HCL has also been in charge of the Children’s Reading Tent at the annual
Zimbabwe International Book Fair. The Children’s Reading Tent has over the
years proved to be a useful and fun-filled outdoor event for children from
different backgrounds.

Eleven year old Tatenda Mutanga from Northwood Adventist Primary School in Mt Pleasant captured here while she was enjoying reading in the Children's Library

Madziwo
said the HCL committee believes that children are an important constituency in
the building of a literate society and hence they saw it prudent to provide the
children with reading space which they cherish.

While
child-sized bean bags keep children calm and soothed, they also have a health-related
advantage because they help children with sensory processing disorders to stay
calm. The bean bags are also safe because they do not hurt like the wooden or
steel or plastic chairs when they break. This awareness of children’s needs
makes the library even more useful to all kinds of children.

The
mural, done by Boarding Dzinotizei, a gifted independent artist, and the
company Aerosol, portray a vivid forest with animals going about their
different movements. Friendly eyed elephants stand on the side of a pool of
water, giraffe towers above other animals while a monkey
is perched on a tree under which there are two zebras taking a rest, this fantasy
world encourages an awareness of art among kids.

Madziwo
said the small-sized, colourful cubicles they have added are in preparation for
ICT which will be introduced soon in the Children’s library. Furthermore, the
HCL has already purchased Android tablets which are going to be helpful in the
outreach programmes targeting disadvantaged children.

The
outreach will see HCL lending the tablets to orphanages and other children
institutions for a stipulated period during which the children will be taught
how to use the new technology. To encourage reading culture, the library offers
free use of the Children’s Library to primary school children but when they (school
children) want to borrow books they are entitled to pay a subscription.

Harare
City Library is still beaming with inspiration from yet another milestone event
that saw it receiving a huge collection of adults’ books from the late great
writer Doris Lessing’s literary estate. Renovations of the entire library,
including the Children’s Library, have been done with financial support from the Culture Fund
Trust in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe.